A lot of guys over 40 who get into kettlebells don’t really care about muscle - but they should .
Especially if they want to “lose weight,” “regain fitness,” or dare I even say it, “Tone up.”
Why?
Muscle is your body’s “calorie-burning engine.”
It uses up extra calories both at rest and at work.
And the more muscle you have on your body, the more calories you burn at rest, and the more you expend while you work - kettlebell Swing, Press, or Snatch a kettlebell.
And those two things are critically important for weight loss.
And they're also critical for “getting stronger.”
The more muscle you have on your body, the greater strength potential you have.
With that foundation set, I got this comment over one of my IG posts the other day - the answer to which I thought you’d find insightful.
Great question.
When discussing muscle growth, we need to think in terms of “systemic” vs. “localized.”
“Systemic” is the impact a load or stimulus has on the body as a whole.
“Localized” is the impact a load or stimulus has on a region - like the shoulders / shoulder girdle.
The Kettlebell Clean + Press is categorized as a “multi-joint lift” - which is made up of two or more multi-joint movements - exercises that use multiple joints.
Contrast a “compound exercise” with an “isolation exercise” - like a biceps curl - which only uses (in theory) one joint.
This is important to know because the energy demand and the stimulus for change in your nervous system is greater using a multi-joint exercise when compared to an single-joint movement.
However…
The demand on the muscle tissue is usually the inverse -
There’s more demand on muscle tissue in isolation exercises compared to compound exercises.
In fact, you could say it’s a continuum that looks like this:
Compound Lift → Compound Exercise → Isolation Exercise
Increased CNS demand / stimulus → Lesser CNS demand / stimulus
Reduced muscle tissue demand → Greater muscle tissue demand
This shows why bodybuilders are usually bigger than powerlifters but powerlifters are stronger .
Bodybuilders prioritize making their muscles as large as possible.
Powerlifters focus on making their muscles - clean with relation to the Squat, Bench Press, and Deadlift - as powerful as possible.
Now, with that as our context , let’s get back to our question:
The benefits of the Clean + Press over the Strict Press are as follows:
1- Greater systemic demand (compound lift vs. compound exercise), and therefore greater nervous system stimulus for adaptation.
2- Less localized upper body exhaustion, so usually, but not always, you can get more Presses in a set of Clean + Press vs. a set of Presses.
3- Use “ground reaction force” or “force wave” from the Clean to enhance power output in the Press. This too often lowers upper body fatigue and boosts the number of Presses you can do.
4- Improved conditioning outcome from alternating between Cleans and Presses.
5- Train the posterior chain (hips, hamstrings, erectors, calves).
… To name but five .
Does that imply you should never do “just” Presses?
No, not at all.
Here’s the reasons of Presses over the Clean + Press:
1- If you’re aiming at increasing your Press Max, then do repeat Presses.
2- If you want to “just” focus on pure localized muscle building, then do “just” Presses.
3- If you’re learning how to Press, you need to hone your technique - sets of unbroken Presses are the way to do.
… To name but 3 .
Personally?
At this stage in my life, I’m all about maximizing efficiency , so I prefer Clean + Press vs. the Press.
If you hate having to pick , here’s another option that some may consider the perfect balance:
Clean THEN Press.
Do all you Cleans FIRST, and then, without putting your bell(s) down , do your set of Presses.
(This is called a complex.)
This still gives you a systemic response , but you also get a targeted effect too.
The only downside is you’ve accumulated tiredness by doing your Cleans first, so your Presses may suffer.
Which is best for you?
Clean + Press, “just” Presses, or Cleans THEN Presses?
It all hinges on your specific goals.
For most guys our age - probably 90% - are best served by “just” Clean + Presses.
Stay Strong,
Geoff Neupert.